Law

About the discipline

Many of the hottest legal issues today involve religion in the public square. Current First Amendment issues include church-state separation, God in the Pledge of Allegiance, and prayer in schools and public spheres. Ethical issues sometimes related to religious beliefs are also debated, such as potential bans on abortion or types of abortion, the death penalty, and how to rule or legislate in ways that offer freedom to practice religion but not against any particular practices or atheist beliefs. Read More »

Articles

  • “Bans on the Wearing of Religious Symbols in British Schools: A Violation of the Right to Non-Discrimination?” by Erica Howard. Religion and Human Rights, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2011.
  • “Ethnic conflict in Nigeria: Constitutional law and the dilemma of decision-making” by Ray Ikechukwu Jacob and Suhana Saad. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Spring), 2011.
  • “The Courts’ Inconsistent Treatment of Bethel v. Fraser and the Curtailment of Student Rights” by David L. Hudson, Jr. and John E. Ferguson Jr. The John Marshall Law Review, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Fall), 2002.
  • “To Engage in Civil Practice as a Religious Lawyer” by James L. Nolan, reprinted from Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, April 1999.
  • “Faith and the Attorney-Client Relationship: A Muslim Perspective” by Azizah Y. al-Hibri. Fordham Law Review, Vol. LXVI, No. 4, March 1998.
  • “On Being a Muslim Corporate Lawyer” by Azizah al-Hibri. Texas Tech Law Review. Vol. 27: 947.
  • “Huqūq Allāh and Huqūq al-’Ibād: A Legal Heuristic for Natural Rights Regime” by Anver M. Emon. Islamic Law and Society. 13, no. 3 (2006): 325-91.Goodall, Kay.
  • “Incitement to Religious Hatred: All Talk and No Substance?” Modern Law Review. 70, no. 1 (2006): 89-113.
  • “Federal lawsuit claims Eastern Michigan University dismissed grad student from counseling program for her views on homosexuality” by Amanda Hamon. The Ann Arbor News. April 06, 2009.
  • “Is This Arbitration?: Religious Tribunals, Judicial Review, and Due Process” by Michael C. Grossman. Columbia Law Review. 107, no. 1 (2007): 169-209.
  • “Religion and Freedom of Speech: Portraits of Muhammad” by Robert Post. Constellations: An International Journal of Critical & Democratic Theory. 14, no. 1 (2007): 72-90.
  • “Foucault, Law, and Power: A Reassessment” by Gary Wickham. Journal of Law and Society. 33, no. 4 (2006): 596-614.
  • “The First Amendment Implications of Teaching the Theory of Evolution and Creationism In Public Schools” by E.Y. Brownfield, E.Y. Journal of Law & Education. 36, no. 1 (2007): 141-8.
  • “‘The Most Hated Woman in America’: Madalyn Murray and the Crusade against School Prayer” by Bruce J. Dierenfield. Journal of Supreme Court History. 32, no. 1 (2007): 62-84.
  • “Veiled Women and the Affect of Religion in Democracy” by Stewart Motha. Journal of Law & Society. 34, no. 1 (2007): 139-62.
  • Wickham, Gary. “Foucault, Law, and Power: A Reassessment.” Journal of Law and Society. 33, no. 4 (2006): 596-614.
  • “Afghan Law Ignites Debate on Religion, Sex” by Pamela Constable. The Washington Post, April 11, 2009.
  • “Law and Religion in a Secular Society” by Anthony Bradney. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the The Law and Society Association, Hilton Bonaventure, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 27, 2008.
  • Grossman, Michael C. “Is This Arbitration?: Religious Tribunals, Judicial Review, and Due Process.” Columbia Law Review. 107, no. 1 (2007): 169-209.
  • “Sikh man’s challenge to helmet law dismissed” by Kirk Makin. The Globe and Mail (Canada), March 7, 2008.
  • Post, Robert. “Religion and Freedom of Speech: Portraits of Muhammad.” Constellations: An International Journal of Critical & Democratic Theory. 14, no. 1 (2007): 72-90.
  • “For God’s sake, why have blasphemous libel?” The Irish Times, April 30, 2009.
  • “The Moral Responsibility of Business to Protect Homosexuals from Discrimination in the Workplace” by Paul Lansing and Cory Cruser. Employee Relations Law Journal, 35:1 (2009): 43-66.
  • Emon, Anver M. “Huqūq Allāh and Huqūq al-’Ibād: A Legal Heuristic for Natural Rights Regime.” Islamic Law and Society. 13, no. 3 (2006): 325-91.Goodall, Kay. “Incitement to Religious Hatred: All Talk and No Substance?” Modern Law Review. 70, no. 1 (2006): 89-113.

Books

  • Constitutional Illusions and Anchoring Truths: The Touchstone of the Natural Law. Hadley Arkes. Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (May 31, 2010).
  • Across the Religious Divide: Women, Property, and Law in the Wider Mediterranean. Jutta Sperling and Shona Kelly Wray. Routledge (October 13, 2009).
  • Encountering Religion in the Workplace: The Legal Rights and Responsibilities of Workers and Employers. Raymond F. Gregory. New York: Cornell University Press, 2011.
  • Islamic Feminism and the Law by Qudsia Mirza. Routledge-Cavendish, 2011.
  • A Correctional Administrator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices (.pdf)
  • Law and Religion in Europe: A Comparative Introduction by Norma Doe. Oxford University Press USA, 2011.
  • Religion and law: An introduction. Peter W. Edge. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006.
  • Law and religion: a critical anthology. Stephen M. Feldman. NYU Press, 2000.
  • Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy. Scott A. Merriman. ABC-CLIO, 2007.
  • Clash Of Orthodoxies: Law Religion & Morality In Crisis. Robert P. George. Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2001.
  • God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law. Marci A. Hamilton. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Doing Justice to Mercy: Religion, Law, and Criminal Justice. Jonathan Rothchild (ed.) University of Virginia Press, 2007.
  • Religion and International Law. Mark W. Janis and Carolyn Evans (eds.). Hotei Publishing, 2004.
  • Prison Religion: Faith-Based Reform and the Constitution by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan. Princeton University Press, 2011.
  • Peyote vs. the State: Religious Freedom on Trial by Garrett Epps. University of Oklahoma Press, 2009.

Case studies

Codes of ethics

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More links

Professional associations and faith groups

Recent research

Syllabi

The MU Difficult Dialogues program, part of a nationwide effort to encourage intellectual discussion on contentious issues, will be holding a public forum on reproductive rights titled “Courageous Conversations on Contraception: Women’s Health and Religious Freedom” on April 4th.

A six-person panel of religious leaders and academics will tackle organized religions’ approach to issues of contraception, abortion and other reproductive rights. The panelists include:

John D. Baker, former senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Columbia and current executive director of The Community Foundation of Central Missouri
Joshua D. Hawley, associate professor of law at MU
JoAnn Jorgovan, assistant director of campus ministry at St. Thomas More Newman Center, a Catholic parish, at MU
Rebecca Martinez, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies at MU
Rigel C. Oliveri, associate dean for faculty research and development and associate professor of law at MU
Shawna Strickland, clinical associate professor in the Department of Cardiopulmonary and Diagnostic Sciences at MU’s School of Health Professions

Time/Date: 5 to 6:30 p.m. April 4

Location: Hulston Hall Room 7 (lower level, seats approximately 175 people), corner of Conley and Missouri avenues, across the street from the Mel Carnahan Quad. Map

Cost: This event is free and open to the public.

For more information: For more biographical information on the panelists, visit the MizzouDiversity website. For specifics about the event, contact Roger L. Worthington, a professor in the departments of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology and Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, via email or by phone at (573) 882-8360.

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